Kris Allen at Ridgefield Playhouse

Erik Ofgang

Published 1:30 pm, Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Fans of "American Idol" can see and hear Kris Allen (winner of Season 8) at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Thursday, Jan.10. The singer-songwriter's new album features âÄúThe Vision of Love.âÄù
Photo: Contributed Photo

Despite starting the new year with a car accident near his home in Arkansas, "American Idol" winner Kris Allen says his show scheduled for the Ridgefield Playhouse on Thursday, Jan. 10, will go on.

"We did talk to Kris and he is very upbeat and is still doing press and publicity to promote the tour," said playhouse Executive Director Allison Stockel.

"He's very excited, and in his words, `The show must go on.' He's going to give it his all," she said. "I don't doubt for a second if he can play the guitar he will play the guitar." (In case he can't though, an additional guitarist has been added to the tour.)

Allen, who posted news of the Jan. 1 collision on Twitter, was scheduled for surgery on his wrist last week. He suffered a broken arm in the wreck. His wife Katy, who is pregnant, was with him when the crash occurred, but everyone is expected to be fine.

Allen, 27, won the eighth season of "American Idol" and released the 2009 hit "Live Like We're Dying." His new album, "Thank You Camellia," was released in May and features the single "The Vision of Love." Jillette Johnson opens.

We chatted with the "Idol" champ before the accident, discussing the message behind his music, his latest album and the "American Idol" experience.

Q: What are your live shows like?

A: We like to switch it up every night. I don't think you're going to see the same show ever. I don't think we've ever done the same show; I like to switch it up. I don't think I'm ADD, but the shows sometimes are. I have a great band. I have two guys that I play with and we have a great time together, we have a really good chemistry, we've been playing for four years now.

Q: Can you talk about your latest album and what your goal with the album was when you recorded it?

A: I think it was to show people a maturation process and trying to get better as an artist, as a songwriter and a singer and also just to let people in -- songs are personal; you're just letting more and more people in on your personality and who you are by continuing to write songs and being versatile about them. This record definitely felt really personal.

Q: What's the message behind the album's first single, "The Vision of Love?"

A: The idea of the song is, it's a pretty broad song about these two characters that people can relate to. I was just trying to send the right message with this song and let people know that bullying and judging and being negative is not cool and we should all be trying to love on everybody -- that's what the world should be doing is loving on everybody in every form or fashion.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about "Live Like You're Dying?"

A: That song was the first single off the first record. It was one of those songs that when you hear it for the first time you go, "Man, that's just good." I thought it was a great idea for the first single, because it fit with what I was trying to do as an artist and what I was on the show. It was a song that had a good message, but also kind of had something cool about it -- had kind of the rap thing in it and the vibe of it was just kind of perfect.

Q: So a positive message with a cool edge to it?

A: Yeah I mean Disney wouldn't play it, so it has a little bit of an edge.

Q: You won "Idol" despite fierce competition from Adam Lambert. What advice do you have for contestants currently on "Idol" or other singing shows?

A: I think the biggest thing, it's probably going to sound cheesy, but just be yourself. Let people know from the very beginning who you are as an artist. People love that, they love people who know who they are and are confident in what they're trying to do.

Q: Have you met any of the other "Idol" winners?

A: I think they had the 10th-year anniversary or something like that and we all came together and we all sang a song and so I got to meet everybody, at least from one through 10, which was pretty cool. Everybody was really nice. (But) we're not like hanging out all the time ...

Q: No "Idol" winners' club?

A: No, there's not like a secret club that we hang out in once a month, but it's still one of those things where other people who went through it respect you for what you've done. It's cool; everybody seems really nice.

Erik Ofgang is a freelance writer in Connecticut; erikofgang@gmail.com